The criterion is simple: Individuals, people or institutions who have had a profound impact on their society, nation or region. No one has put his stamp on his nation and the wider Asian region in so pronounced a manner as has President Xi Jinping of China. Yet, it cannot escape mention that Europe and the US demand that the World Trade Organisation deny China market economy status, citing its unfair trade practices. His assertiveness in the South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety, and along the border with India, has left sections of Asia unsettled. A reassuring signal would be China’s early assent to a legally binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

Source: The Nation Bangkok December 06, 2017 16:52 UTC